Welding in Shipbuilding

摘要

Results of specialist lectures given at the International Conference "Welding in Shipbuilding" of the International Institute of Welding in Hamburg in September 1998. The conference began with a preview of the possible future development of shipbuilding. Since the transport sector as a whole is the largest existing economic field, there will always be a need for ships. However, the shipyards are, to a great extent, dependent on the global economic situation. At present, the competition in the shipbuilding industry is very stiff since there is considerably more capacity than demand. On the other hand, a large proportion of the worldwide fleets are obsolete in just a few years and must be replaced by new, better ships. In the long run, shipbuilding will probably specialise in smaller, quicker, flexible ships which will no longer be driven by fossil fuels. On these ships, modern information technology will also play a great role.